Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-19

ders' legs rs they wound across the plain.
Back they came to the cave, and once more
flung themselves In amending files through
the hole in the huge pyramid of bones; and
1 awoke, shuddering, to see She, who had
evidently been standing between my couch
II Leo's, glide like a shadow from the
room.
After this l slept again, soundly this
time. till morning, when ! awoke much
refreshed, and got up. At last the hour
drew near at which, according to Ayesha,
Leo was to awake, and with it came She
herself, as usual, yelled.
Thou shalt see, Holly" she said; pres
emily shall he awake in his right mind, the
fever having left him"
Hardly were the words out Of her mouth
when Leo turned round and stretched out
his arms, yawned, opened his eyes, and
perceiving a female form bending over
him, threw his arms round her and kissed
her, mistaking her, perhaps, for Ustane;
because, next minute, he said, in Arabic,
"Hullo, Ustane; why have you tied your
head up like that? nave you got the tooth
ache'" and then, In English, II say, Pm
awful hungry. Why, job, you old son of
a gun, where the deuce have we got to now
-ehs"
II am sure I wish I knew, Mr.. Leo" said
Job, edging suspiciously past Ayesha,
whom be still regarded with the utmost
disgust and horror, being by no means
sure that she was not an animated corpse,
but yea mustn't talk, Mr.. Leo; you've
been very i'll, and given us a great deal OF
hanXiety; and if this lady" looking mt
Ayesha, would be SO kin as to move, III
bring you your soup"
This turned Leo's attention to the lady"
who was standing by in perfect silence.
'Hullo," he said; that is not Ustane-
where is Ustanes'
Then, for the first time, Ayesha spoke to
him, and her first words were a lie: "She
has gone from hence upon a visit" she
said, land, behold, l an here as thine hand
maiden"
Ayesha's silver notes seemed TO puzzle
his half awakened intellect, as also did her
~corpse-like wrappings. However, he said
nothing at the time, but drank off his soup
greedily enough, and then turned over
and slept again till the evening. When he
woke the second time he saw me, and be-
gan TO question me- as TO what had hap
pened, but had to put him off as best i
could till the morrow, when he awoke al
most ~miraculously better. Then 1 told
him something Of his illness and Of my do
ings, but as Ayesha was present l could
not tell him much, except that she was the
queen of the country, and well disposed
toward Us, and that it was her pleasure 10
go yelled; for though OF course | spoke in
English, | was afraid that she might I'M
! derstand what we were saying from the
expression of our faces, and besides, | re-
membered her warning.
On the following day Leo got up, almost
entirely recovered. The flesh wound in
his side was healed, and his constitution,
naturally n vigorous one, had shaken off
the exhaustion consequent on his terrible
fever with a rapidity that ! can only at
tribute to the effects of the wonderful drug
which Ayesha had given to him, and also
to the fact that his illness had been too
short to reduce him very much. With his
returning health cam back full recollec-
ton Of all his adventures up to the time
when he had lost consciousness in the
marsh, and Of course of Ustane also, to
whom | d discovered he had grown consid-
erably attached. Indeed, he overwhelmed
me with questions about the poor girl,
which [ did not dare to answer, for after
Leo's first Weakening She had sent for me,
and again warned me solemnly that was
to reveal nothing Of the story to him, deli
cately limiting that il | did it would be the
worse for me. She also, for the second
time, cautioned me not TO tell Leo an
thing more than / was obliged about !
self, saying that she would tell him in =
own TINE. IN
Indeed, her whole manner c.
After all that | had seen i had hahge
that she would take the earliest expect
ity Of claiming the man she be 'PPnitu
Heyed to
her old-world lover; but thj
son of her own. which V 49,
quite inscrutable to M !,
All that she did was Z - 49,
quietly, and with a ' mri,;tu "a, I've We"
striking contrast W 9Th her former iune,
GUS oearihg' auu' essing him always i'm
tone o sonheln hg very like respect, an
keeping nm ' nth her as much as possibl
VI course III scuriosity was as much excite
ABOUT thls mysterious woman rs nv ow
mad beofi, and he was particularly anxior
10 see her face, which l had, without el
terlng into particulars, told him was q
fovely as her form aud voice. This In /
SELF was enough to raise the expectation
OF any young man TO a dangerous pitcl
ana mad 1t not been that he had not as We
completely shaken off the effects of fines,
n was much troubled in his mine abou
ostane, or whose affection and brave deyc
uoh ne spoke in touching terms, I had n
doubt that he would have entered into he
plans, and fallen in love with her bv an
tcipation. AS 1t was, however, he wa
SIMPLY wildly curious, and also. like nv
sell, considerably awed, for though no hin
had been given TO him by her of her extra
ordinary age, he not unnaturally came Z,
identity her with the woman spoken of or
the potsherd. At last, quite driven into .
corner by his continual questions. which
ne showered on me while he was dressing
on TINS third morning, / referred him Ia
Ayesha, saying, with perfect truth, that |
ana not know where Ustane was. Accord
lngly, after he had eaten a hearty break.
last, we adjourned into She's presence for
her mutes had orders to admit us at all
hours.
SHE was, as usual, seated in what, for
want OF a better term, we called her bon
uolr, and, on the curtains being drawn
she rose from her couch and. stretching
out Doth hands, came toward to greet us
or, rather, Leo; for l, as may be imagined
was now quite left in the cold. II was a
pretty sight to see her yelled form gliding
toward the sturdy young Engishman.
dressed in his gray-lannel suit: for though
he Is half Il Greek In blood Loo 60 u,;th tbo